Air-compressor.



L. A; GATES.

AIR COMPRESSOR.

APPLICATION FILED 001.30, 1908.

91 6,857. Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

WITNESS E5 INVENTOR LEWIS A.GA'rEs I EZQJMZJ HIS A TORNEY 1m: NORRIS PzrsRs cm, WASHIIVOTDNHD. c.

rrnn s rens rarest rrrcn LEWISv A. GATES, OF OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO G. M. SPARKS, OF OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

AIR-GOMPRESSGR.

all 10. mm it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Lewis A. GATES, citizen of the United States, residing at Oroville, in the county of Butte and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

lily invention relates to an apparatus for the generation and conservation, and distribution of power.

it is an object of my invention to provide a simple, continuous-acting apparatus, in which combined a suitable driving motor, a h'uid compressing device, a receiver and motor adapted to be run from the compressed fluid in the receiver.

it is another purpose of the invention to provide a machine of few elements, and of very strong structure.

A fu l 181 object is to provide means for converting electrical energy into fluid pressure, such. for instance as compressed air, and in conjunction with other means for utilizing this compressed air in any desirable.

My invention consists of the elements, and the construction and combination of elements or their equ valents as set forth in the accompanying specifications and drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Figs. 3 and at are details of the chain-driving mechanism.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 use an electrical motor 2, which is connected by gearing 3 to operate a snaft at upon which are mounted suitable spa'ocket-wheels 5 and 6, and here shown as operating in a vertical plane. Passing around each of the sprockets 5 and b are chains 7 and 8 respectively, suitably secured upon each of which is a dog or lug 9, which is adapted to be carried by the chains in their traveling around the sprocketwheels 10 and 11. The purpose of these dogs 9 .is to engage with yokes 12 and 13, which are secured at the end of piston-rods 14;-1 l of suitable air-compressors 15, in such a man ner as to reciprocate the piston-rods and their pistons in the cylinders 15. The lugs 9 are situated relatively to each other upon their respective chains 7 and 8 so as to cause one of the pistons to be at its rearward maximum position, while the other piston is in its forward maximum position. At 16 T have shown a sprocket or other suitable chain, which is secured at the ends of the piston- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed- October 30, 1908.

Patented March 30, 1909.

Serial N 0. 460,250.

rods lllal, and contiguous to the yokes 12 and 13. he chain is then passed over a suitable supporting-Wheel 17, shown operating in a horizontal plane, and as the lugs 9 engage their respective yokes 12 and 13, one lug, for instance, engaging the yoke 13 on piston-rod 1%, will operate to reciprocate that rod, forcing it backwardly into its cylinder 15, and by reason of the chain connection between the two piston-rods 1+l-1et, as one of said piston-rods is forced backwardly by the lug 9, the chain 16 will then pull the other piston forwardly in its cylinder. in this way, it will be seen that when a lug 9 operates on either of the piston yokes 12 or 13, the other piston is simultaneously reversed in its motion. he air-compressing cylinders illustrated, are known double-acting, and consequently the two cylinders are compressing air at one time, although only one of the lugs 9 is operatively in engagement with one of the yokes 12 or 13. By this construction it will be seen that the two sprocket chains 7 and 8 are continuously driven in one direction, each carrying its respective lug 9; and these being so arranged that, as one of the lugs has reached its maximum rearward position, during its travel having forced the piston-rod 14. rearwardly as far as it will go in the cylinder 15, this lug then passes freely away from the yoke 12, just as the lug 9 at the forward end of the machine, on the other chain, for instance chain 8, will then go up into engagement with the yoke 13 on the piston rod let. In this manner there is no reversal either of the motor 2, the gears 3, or the shaft 4 and its associated members.

The use of the chain 16 alfords a flexible, powerful means of connecting the two pistons and rods 14, so that they are synchronously actuated, and only one lug 9 is re quired on either of the chains 7 or 8 to accomplish the operation of the compressors.

As is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the yoke 13 is rigidly secured upon the piston-rod 14, and depends to such length as to just clear the shaft 4, and the shafts upon which the sprockets 10 and 11 operate.

The lugs 9 which engage the yokes 12 and 13 may be of any desirable construction, and are here shown as simply pins which project from a suitable collar or link mounted in the sprocket-chains 7 and 8.

The compressed air derived from the cylinders 15 may be conducted to any desirable point where it may be utilized, and I have shown in the present case the receiver 18 into which the compressor is discharged, and from which the air is admitted to operate suitable engines 19, which are here shown as being connected to operate a dynamo 20 from which a current may be distributed and utilized as required.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In an apparatus of the character described, parallel compression cylinders with pistons and piston-rods, slotted yokes fixed to the ends of the rods, a horizontal chain, an idler around which it passes, said chain having its ends connected with the piston rods, endless chains passing around sprocketwheels in vertical planes and having lugs to alternately engage the slotted yokes when traveling above their sprockets, and be disengaged theretrom at the inner end to return below the sprockets.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, parallel cylinders having pistons and piston-rods, a chain having its ends connected with the ends of the piston-rods, a horizontally journaled idler around which the bight of the chain passes, vertical sprocket-wheels revoluble beneath the rods and chains, endless chains passing around said sprockets, forked yokes fixed to the ends of the piston-rods and extending on each side of the upper portion of the endscribed, parallel compression cylinders with pistons and piston rods connected to reclprocate in opposite directions, sprocket-wheels journaled beneath the rods at a distance apart equal to the length of stroke, chains passing around said sprocket-wheels, each carrying engagement lugs in opposition to each other, slotted yokes fixed to the pistonrod ends extending downwardly over the upper portions of the endless chains,whereby the lugs upon the chains alternately engage the yokes to reciprocate the pistons in one direction, and are disengaged from the yokes at the end of the stroke, to allow the pistons to be returned during the corresponding stroke of the other piston. V

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEWIS AGATES.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. STRONG, CHAs. A. SLACK. 

